The Packers’ 2026 season opener comes with a familiar feel and a fresh layer of intrigue.
Green Bay opens Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Minnesota Vikings, a Week 1 matchup set for 3:25 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and shown on CBS. It’s the third time in seven years these division rivals have met in a season opener, and it lands after a long offseason for a Packers team that finished last year with five straight losses.
Jordan Love enters his fourth season as Green Bay’s QB1, giving the Packers a steady hand at the position. Minnesota, meanwhile, is turning the page with Kyler Murray taking over after a 2025 season in which quarterback play was a problem. Murray arrived in the offseason after seven years with the Arizona Cardinals.
Green Bay has also had a rough time in Minneapolis lately, dropping four of its last five there and losing the last two. The Week 18 game last season doesn’t tell the full story, though, because most of the starters sat once the playoff spot and seed were already locked in.
For fans trying to line up the afternoon, the Packers are in the late window on CBS, following the noon regional games. In Wisconsin, the broadcast comes after the Houston Texans-Buffalo Bills game.
Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play with J.J. Watt as analyst and Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sideline.
The game can also be streamed on the CBS Sports app and the Paramount+ app, and Fubo has a free trial for new subscribers.
Green Bay enters Week 1 with a few injury questions along the offensive front. Zach Bako-Bewele is questionable with a knee injury, and so is Aaron Banks, also dealing with a knee issue. Warren Brinson is out with a calf injury, while Ty’Ron Hopper is questionable with an Achilles injury.
There is some good news on the health front, too. Javon Hargrave, Jordan Morgan, Barryn Sorrell and Devonte Wyatt were limited in practice on Friday, Sept. 11, but no longer carry injury designations on Sept. 12 and should be in line to play.
The Packers are listed as small underdogs for the opener, according to BetMGM odds as of Sept. 11.
Saturday also brought a major roster note: Tucker Kraft agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $75 million, including a $26.5 million signing bonus, according to a source confirmed to PackersNews’ Tom Silverstein. Kraft, who is coming off a torn ACL suffered Nov. 2, had been in the middle of a breakout before the injury and was setting career highs as a receiver.
Green Bay’s initial 53-man roster includes 16 new players, among them five members of the six-player draft class. The roster also features undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver J.
Michael Sturdivant, extending the Packers’ streak to 22 straight years with at least one UDFA making the Week 1 roster. Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor is now Love’s backup after Malik Willis left in the offseason to become the starter for the Miami Dolphins.
The opener is just the first stop on a schedule that sends Green Bay away from Lambeau often early. The Packers are on the road for their first two games and three of their first four.
After Minnesota, they go to the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 20, then host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The rest of the slate includes trips to Tampa Bay, Detroit, New England, Los Angeles for a Wednesday game against the Rams, New Orleans and Chicago, plus home games against the Bears, Cowboys, Panthers, Vikings, Bills, Dolphins and Texans. The team has a bye in Week 11.
Sunday’s game is one of four 3:25 p.m. kickoffs in Week 1, joining Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles. The day begins with eight noon games, and the week wraps with Kansas City hosting Denver on Monday Night Football at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN and ABC. Earlier in the week, Seattle beat New England 13-10 on Wednesday and San Francisco beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 on Thursday in the first-ever game played in Australia.
In Other News...
Packers Needed Backfield Help Fast And Kaleb Johnson Suddenly Matters
The Packers moved quickly to reshape their backfield after placing Josh Jacobs on the commissioners exempt list following misdemeanor charges, and the timing made Kaleb Johnson a lot more relevant in Green Bay than he was just a day earlier. The trade brings in a running back originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, a player whose rookie season was limited but who still drew enough interest to be viewed as a worthwhile add.
For Brian Gutekunst, the appeal appears to be as much about upside as immediate relief. Johnson has already had to adjust to the NFL level, and analysts have pointed to the kind of growth that can come when a young player gets a reset in a new setting. For a Packers team suddenly looking for more stability and depth behind its top options, his arrival at least gives them another name to sort through while the bigger situation around Jacobs plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleurs Josh Jacobs Response Is Putting Packers Under Fire
Josh Jacobs remains on the Packers roster while on the Commissioners Exempt List after pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property charges, leaving Green Bay in the uncomfortable spot of having to navigate the situation while the leagues review plays out. Matt LaFleur tried to keep his comments limited, calling the matter unfortunate and saying his opinion of Jacobs has not changed, while making clear he would wait for the NFL to finish its investigation before saying more.
LaFleurs restrained response, however, has not gone over smoothly, with public criticism building around the way the Packers are handling a matter that extends well beyond football. For a team trying to keep its focus on the field, the uncertainty around Jacobs has now become part of the larger conversation, and the silence from the sideline is only making the scrutiny louder. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Have Another Reason To Laugh At Minnesota's QB Mess
The quarterback picture in Minnesota has gone from shaky to awkward, and Packers fans have every reason to notice. J.J. McCarthy has been pushed into the emergency quarterback role behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, a reminder that the Vikings are still trying to settle the most important spot on the field after moving on from Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold.
For Green Bay, it only sharpens the contrast inside the NFC North. While the Packers continue to project stability at quarterback, Minnesota is left juggling names and depth-chart labels in a spot where clarity matters most. The division race can change quickly, but this is one more storyline that leaves the Vikings looking like they are already playing catch-up. [Read more 🡒]